The Adventure Continues

This morning we are in El Paso. We've come a long way, come a long way, 500 miles per day. Yesterday we woke up in Canyon de Chelly. The drive has been quite scenic. The only problem is, we have not had a chance to stop and enjoy it. Drive, drive, drive. Today we start across the big state of Texas. San Antonio tonight? Who knows? I will keep you posted if I get a chance to post.

Still Here

We're still in Utah
It is time to start driving
A snowstorm's coming

The Adventure Begins

The shop is closed
Except for those who need me
Like James and Destry

I must change the oil
Pack the car with bikes and dogs
And rotate the tires

Southern Utah and
Red rock country, Navajo
Mexican Water

Apache Sitgreaves
Arizona, White Mountains
Wolf tracks in the snow

A big adventure
Isn't that what life's about?
Stranded in Texas

Sunrise on the gulf
Cajun music and crayfish
Flocks of white ibis

Resurrection ferns
Spanish moss on the live oaks
It's good to be home

Hell

I think my face says it all in this photo. This was the hardest race of the entire series. Each lap got worse and worse. Above is lap number one. Nice white shirt. I wish I had a picture at the end. I had at least 10 pounds of mud on me and the bike. Below is lap three, getting dirty. One lap later I was down more than once. With one to go, Clark M., who had just passed me after another slip, went down right in front of me and I lost another place. Bad day.

This Week is the Last Week

Well, if you tell people you are not going to be around for a while, they bring you a bunch of bicycles to work on. I will be in the shop this week, and I will be busy. There is even a lugged steel cyclocross bike to convert into a single speed for Andy. Josh A. needs a seat post and a wheel true. Again, come on buy.

The cyclocross series is over, and it leaves me a little down. Now there is no "next race" to look forward to. I do plan on taking the cross bike to Florida. There are races almost every week in January, so I will put that in my head, think positive, and try to do a little training. It's hard to go ride when it is 10 degrees out. Most of next week will be spent in the car. The bike needs help. It is still covered in mud from the last race.

The races are run
Brake cables frozen with mud
Pedals do not spin

The Last Days

Saturday, December 15, will be the last day open in 07 for Recycled & New Bicycles. I should be back in the shop by early February. We will be on the road to Florida the week of December 17. We plan to take the southern route to avoid the sideways snow in Wyoming. This route includes Moab, UT, Arizona, Silver City, NM, all of Texas, the gulf coast, then home.

The Utah Cyclocross Series is over. It's like "lost dogs and mixed blessings." At yesterday's race, I started fast and finished slow. I got in a crash near the end and lost a place. I crashed several times before that. Not a good day, riding in about a half-foot of mud and snow all day. Overall, I will end up 6th in the points standings. That sounds good, but I am near the bottom of the list of those who did at least 7 races. I probably will not do the series next year. Bicycle riding is a priority, but the travel involved in racing is not. I may try to put on a Logan cyclocross series next year. I could ride to the races.

Last night's Alley Cat Race was a blast. What a turn out!

Cold and Wet

It was slow at the shop again today. I sold only one tube, one fixed cog, and one lock ring. Just a week or so to go, so come on in. The deals are hot; the air is cold.

We have some serious winter weather moving in. The final race of the cyclocross series is on Saturday. And you thought last week's conditions were bad. This time it may be worse. The temperature should be near 20 for the single speed race. Saturday night I plan on doing the Mooseknuckler alley cat race. Iced roads on the fixed gear! Wish me luck. Or brains.

Migrations

Like a sandhill crane
I feel the urge to fly south
Back to Florida

To sit on my porch
And stare at the blue water
Watching the sunset

The sandy trails call
Gold Head and Etonia
Black waters move slow

Video

Here is a video from Saturday's race. That was a lot of snow for skinny tires.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuxnUZyzs30

A Picture Says 1000 Snow Flakes

I took this picture from my friend Seth's blog. I'm sure he would not care too much. Anyway, this was the start of Saturday's single speed race. The snow was falling pretty hard, about two inches just during the race. Looking for me? White jersey, red helmet, head down.

Slick

Yesterday I did a cyclocross race in a snow storm. At the start there was four inches on the ground. After the finish, there was another three inches on top of the car. I rode too conservatively. I slipped and dabbed a lot, but I never hit the ground. I gained and lost a place on the last lap. I will have to work harder on my "killer instinct." In cross, if you pass someone, you have to go as hard as you can and bury them. There was enough snow for burial, I just should have shoveled harder.

I will blog the results when I find out where I finished. Bottom line: "if last week's results still look good this week, this week's results are not so good."

Patty's birthday is on Tuesday, and her sister is coming for a visit. So, the shop will be open when I am there. I may not be there very much. Call me if you need me. I still have plenty of nice bikes I need to move.

It's Monday

I will be open regular hours this week. I'm sure there will be a rush of holiday shoppers eager to take advantage of the great deals at Recycled & New Bicycles. Seriously, I will sell all new bikes at any price, as long as I can cover my costs. Come and see me. Or, call me.

Results and points have been posted from this past weekend's cross races. I placed a solid 5th in Saturday's race. That puts me in 6th overall in the single speed class. Racer Gibson is in 5th overall. It is mathematically possible that I could catch him, but highly, highly improbable. He has been faster than me the entire series until last Saturday. I also have to mark Ryan Ashbridge. He could easily move in front of me in the points standings (he has done 4 races, I have done 5). I have never beaten him, although I was only seconds behind him on Saturday. Next Saturday, I am going to ride fast. Nice mantra, no?

A Long Day

I was out the door this morning before 7:30. I drove to SLC for race #8 in the Utah Cyclocross Series. All day yesterday I continued to tell myself "I am going to ride fast, I am going to ride fast, I am going to ride fast." It's all mental. I did some research about the course and found out that it was "fast." I went to the shop last night at 10 pm at put on a bigger gear, 46/20. That's a big gear for me. I got there early and did the Men's C race as a warm up. In the single speed race, I worked hard to turn over my big gear coming out of each turn. It was probably my best race this year. I have no idea where I finished, but I know I could not have gone much faster. I was not really racing the top 5 guys, because I know I can't keep up with them. I was racing me, the guy who had to be forced to sprint out of each corner. My lungs burned. It hurt to go that fast. When I got off the bike, I felt no pain at all. Next week, "I am going to ride fast." It's all mental.

I opened up the shop today at 2 pm. I had only one customer all day. So, I put all the bikes back in the shop and came home before 5. Like the note on the door says, "if you need anything, call me, I'll be right in."

And Then It Snowed

All morning I kept looking to the northwest for a line of dark clouds. All I saw was Easter-egg blue. At lunch I looked out the window, and there it was, snow flurries. It came from the east, wrap around effect, from the low pressure center that went northeast of us. The Bear River Range mountains were covered in gray clouds and white snow. Still, the northwest sky was clear and blue. Neat-o.

I may have sold a Mono Cog and a Conquest today. Really neat-o. Other than two maybes, the bike business is really slow.

I finally have my bike set up as a single speed using the magic numbers 44/20. Half link, vertical dropouts, perfect chain tension, and no derailleur. It took a new wheel without a 10 speed free hub body, but now it's right. I will be racing in SLC on Saturday morning. Magic numbers will work on any bike. You can learn more by looking at this Magic Numbers site. Feel free to ask, if the fix me up site does not make sense.

Today's Haiku

The forecast said snow.
Migrating raptors float south
In a clear blue sky.

My Weekend

Like most weekends, mine went by really fast. I closed the shop and we spent most of Saturday looking for a place to live. House hunting falls into a familiar pattern. I see a lot of houses I do not want, and probably don't really know what I do want. The pattern repeats as we always ask ourselves "how long are we going to be here, and what is the probability of Patty getting a permanent position?" So, Saturday did not include a bike race in ID.

Yesterday I did get out for a good ride with Paul. We spun through Providence, Millville, and Hyrum, and then pedaled hard up Meridian Road and to the top of McMurdie Hollow. We turned around and coasted-wash boarded down to Paradise. We had a tail wind all the way home. After the ride, Patty and Amy got in a little spin before dark.

I will be back at the shop on Tuesday. Even if no one comes buy. I am willing to sell everything in the shop for some great deals. The end of the year is coming fast. I will probably close up for winter on December 15. That will be the last day. Then, the long drive to Florida for Christmas and most of January.

Cyckel

The Cyckels have been ordered. Who knows when they will get here. Until then, check out the picture and specs. Nice bicycle. Want one? OK, the above link does not work. Try this one and then click cycles, then click urban, then click cyckel. I wish they would just let me copy the picture.

Motivation

It is hard to find motivation the older I get. I want to get out and ride and get stronger, but I seldom do. Yesterday it was raining. And cold. Today, well...by the time I had the time and finally talked myself into getting on the bike it was 9:30. That late in the day, all alone in the cold, it is hard to make yourself ride with any real intensity. I did an hour around and around the graveyard and the Spectrum and the HPER field. My own little cyclocross course, complete with low headstones for barriers. The dead are not easily impressed. I'm home now, and it's hard to go right to bed. So, here I am writing this for you. And me, mostly.

The motivation
To go ride is hard to find
Gray hairs are easy

Racing is the only way to ride really hard. There is an opportunity to race in Pocatello on Saturday. I may go. If I do, the shop will be closed for the day. I am looking for car pool opportunities if anyone is interested.

There's a free entry
For car pools of four racers
Four in my car? Tight!

Haiku after midnight is just as hard as trying to get in a good ride. Sorry for the lame poetry. G'night.

Positive Experiences

I've had more positive experiences in the past four or five hours than most people have had all day. Early tonight I talked briefly to Matt Chester on the phone. Matt says I am still sponsored for life, so I hope to be riding another one of his works of art real soon. Monster Cross Fixed Gear Specific! Yee-haa! I have said many times before, "it's not about the bike, it's about the bike you are use to riding." That said, my Ute was the best riding bike I ever had. Describe it you ask. I can't. I just felt like the rear end floated and it climbed like crazy. Matt knows.

I had to cut my phone conversation with Matt short and go to the Second Annual Fondue Party at Uncle Alan's house. Fun. The best part is seeing the circle of friends. That's what I call it here in Logan. When you are in the minority, the circle is small and the circle is tight. Margee's amaretto white chocolate is still the best. Logan, Utah can grow on a person. Like mold.

At 10:30 I rode down to town and participated in an Alley Cat race, organized by the Moose Knuckler Alliance. Don't ask me, just go to the website. Then come back to mine. The race was short and sweet. "Go to Old Main Hill (USU campus) and to Lee's Market, and then head back." Once I figured out where Lee's was (I've never shopped there) I was in good shape. It was a whole lot of fun with a lot of great people. I did not win the race, however.

Yes, positive experiences. I am going for a long cyclocross bike ride in the morning. In a few hours. G'night.

No Cross in the Morning

I have re-injured my hand. So, no cross tomorrow. I will be in the shop at 11ish.